Fetal midgut volvulus: report of eight cases.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether prenatal diagnosis of intestinal midgut volvulus (a rare condition due to the small bowel loops twisting) can improve the prognosis of the newborns. METHODS: In our Prenatal Diagnosis Center, eight cases of intestinal volvulus observed between 2007 and 2014 were retrospectively considered. Ultrasonographic signs can be direct and specific (whirlpool sign, coffee bean sign) or indirect and non-specific (abdominal mass, dilated bowel loops, pseudocysts, ascites, polyhydramnios). RESULTS: Prenatal diagnosis was performed at 20-34 weeks of gestation. All newborns were exposed to an emergency surgery: the major complication was due to cystic fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: An early suspicion of intestinal volvulus allows the clinician to refer the patient to a tertiary center so to confirm the diagnosis and perform an appropriate follow-up in order to identify the proper time of delivery. The prognosis of the babies with prenatal intestinal volvulus depends on the length of the segment involved, on the level of intestinal obstruction, on the presence of meconium peritonitis and on the gestational age at birth. Our experience, according with the literature, suggests that ascites and absence of abdominal peristalsis are ultrasonographic signs that, in the third trimester of pregnancy, correctly lead to an immediate delivery intervention.

Blood pressure levels, left ventricular mass and function are correlated with left atrial volume in mild to moderate hypertensive patients.

Arterial hypertension is associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), and leads to a pronounced increase in morbidity and mortality. Left atrial volume (LAV) is an important prognostic marker in the older populations. The aim of our study was to identify the clinical and echocardiographic determinants of LAV in middle-aged (<70 years old) essential hypertensive patients.We evaluated cardiac structure and function in 458 patients, 394 treated and untreated mild to moderate essential hypertensives patients (mean+/-s.d. age 48.4+/-11.1 years) with no associated clinical condition and 64 normotensive control participants (age 45.7+/-12.8 years; P=0.12). A multivariate analysis was performed to calculate the relative weight of each of the variables considered able to predict LAV. The LAV index (LAVi) was significantly increased in the essential hypertensive group vs the control group and was significantly dependent on blood pressure levels (SBP and DBP, P<0.05 for both) and body mass index (BMI) (P<0.0001). Considering the left ventricular (LV) variables, the LV mass index (LVMI) (R(2)=0.19, P<0.001) and LAV were increased in essential hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), and patients with enlarged LAV showed lower systolic and diastolic function and an increased LVMI. The LAVi is dependent on blood pressure levels and anthropometric variables (age and BMI). Further structural (LVMI) and functional (systolic and diastolic) variables are related to the LAVi; LVMI is the most important variable associated with LAV in mild to moderate essential hypertensive adult patients. These findings highlight the importance of left atrium evaluation in adult, relatively young, essential hypertensive patients.